Thursday, May 05, 2016

Iraq snapshot

Thursday, May 5, 2016. Chaos and violence continue, more bombs are dropped, does a US military death matter to the US government (not if you're John Kerry), and much more.

Today, the US Defense Dept announced:

Strikes in IraqGround-attack, fighter, bomber, and remotely piloted aircraft
conducted 15 strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s
government:-- Near Baghdadi, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb.-- Near Beiji, a strike destroyed two ISIL tunnel entrances.-- Near Fallujah, six strikes struck three separate ISIL
tactical units and destroyed four ISIL fighting positions, an ISIL heavy
machine gun, an ISIL anti-aircraft artillery system, three ISIL tunnel
entrances, an ISIL mortar system, an ISIL vehicle bomb, an ISIL weapons
cache, and four ISIL bed down locations. --Near Kisik, a strike struck a large ISIL tactical unit and
destroyed two ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL heavy machine guns,
three ISIL mortar positions, and four ISIL assembly areas.-- Near Mosul, two strikes destroyed two ISIL fighting
positions, one heavy machine gun, 10 ISIL mortar systems, three ISIL
rocket rails, and suppressed an ISIL heavy machine gun position.-- Near Sultan Abdallah, three strikes struck an ISIL tactical
unit and destroyed an ISIL fighting position, an ISIL heavy machine gun,
an ISIL mortar system, an ISIL vehicle, and suppressed an ISIL heavy
machine gun position and an ISIL mortar position.-- Near Tal Afar, one strike struck an ISIL weapons facility.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic
events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a
single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a
single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle
is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons
against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for
example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or
impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not
report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number
of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual
munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in
counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a
strike.

The bombs keep getting dropped, the war keeps dragging on.

The latest wave of bombings began in August of 2014 and have continued daily.

They've not 'won' any war, have they?

What if all that energy had been spent -- or even half of it -- working towards a diplomatic solution?

Three years of engagement with Sunni Arab Iraqis, analysis of Sunni
Iraqi media and a recent trip to Baghdad with former ambassador Ryan
Crocker’s Task Force for the Future of Iraq
have convinced me of two things. First, most Sunni and a number of Shia
Arabs are hungry for more direct U.S. involvement in the Iraq’s
political reconciliation process. Second, while Iraqi prime minister
Haider al-Abadi has genuine intent to foster reconciliation, he does not
have the political power to make it happen. Worse, as he struggles to
form a new cabinet, he is rapidly losing the support of the Iraqi
leaders he will most need to effect change. While the winds of political
influence can quickly shift in Baghdad, it seems most likely that
reconciliation will remain at best a secondary issue while the
government contends with Sadrist protestors, wavering reform efforts and the omnipresent threat of Shia militias.
These “alligators closest to the boat” continue to distract from the
crucial process of reconciling the Sunnis with their government. It is
time for the United States to step in and take the lead for
reconciliation in order to bolster the tactical fight against ISIL and
to ensure Iraq does not further destabilize.

Two years focusing on diplomacy? Two years easing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi towards national reconciliation in Iraq? Tying in weapons shipments to concrete achievements towards national reconciliation?

That could have had an impact.

It could have destroyed any justification for the Islamic State being in Iraq.

They get their support as a response to the persecution of Sunnis in Iraq.

National reconciliation is not a new goal of the US government.

When Congress demanded Bully Boy Bush provide measurements for measuring
"success" in Iraq (the White House benchmarks), national reconciliation
was on that short list.

But nearly a decade later and there's been no national reconciliation.

Failure to achieve that was supposed to result in the US government cutting off aid to Iraq -- financial and military.

The report on the benchmarks was mandated by Congress this year as a
condition for continuing to fund military operations in Iraq.But
the specific measures, including legislative goals for the Iraqi
parliament, were first outlined last year by the Iraqi government and
embraced by Bush in January.Between July and September, the Iraqi
government showed significant improvement on one benchmark: legislation
to address the status of those who had belonged to Saddam Hussein's
ruling Baath Party. In late August, the leaders of Iraq's five main
political groups agreed on draft legislation, which the administration
considered adequate to move the issue to the "satisfactory progress"
category in the report.However, the deal still must be adopted by the Iraqi parliament, and its fate remains uncertain.In
a conference call with reporters, Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.),
chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a presidential
candidate, said that after months of anticipation, the benchmark report
was disappointing."You don't even have to go to the benchmarks to realize what an abject failure this policy has been," Biden said.

Joe Biden was right in 2007 but those words also can be applied to the current White House policy.

And that draft legislation on the Ba'ath Party?

Never passed.

Nine years later and it's still not passed.

So maybe the US Congress want to explain why the measurements were never applied as they were supposed to be? Or why the Iraq War continues to be funded?

Mr Abadi had hoped to repair some of the damage wrought by his
sectarian predecessor, Nuri al-Maliki. But it may be too late. Tensions
are growing between communities, and within them. Shia groups such as
the Badr organisation, backed by Iran, and the Sadrist movement battle
for influence, while Mr Maliki plots a comeback. In the north the Kurds
squabble among themselves. And the jihadists of IS kill more of their
fellow Sunnis than anyone else. Emma Sky, a former adviser to the
American military in Iraq, suggests viewing the conflicts as “a struggle
for power and resources in a collapsing state. A Hobbesian world of all
against all.”Ms Sky says that some Iraqis are reminded of the last days of the
monarchy in 1958 when another elite refused to reform, and was
overthrown. Mr Sadr has fomented insurrection. “I’m waiting for the
great popular uprising and the great revolution to stop the march of
corrupted officials,” he has said. More protests are set for May 6th.
But the Sadrists may not actually want to topple the government. “They
have used their anti-establishment appeal to strengthen their position
in the establishment,” says Maria Fantappie of the International Crisis
Group, a think-tank.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government is not rescuing Iraq, no matter how many puppets the US government installs as prime minister. The dropping of bombs is not challenging the Islamic State or the roots of its support.

All we have is death and dying.

Iraq War veteran and US House Rep Seth Moulton Tweeted the following today:

COLONEL STEVE WARREN: Thank you, Jeff. It's
always good to be here with everyone. I'm sure everyone has questions
about yesterday's incident, and so that's what I will begin with. It
was a bad day for us here yesterday.On Tuesday, an American advise and assist team was in the village of
Tal Asquf, meeting with a Peshmerga unit. Tal Asquf sits approximately
three and a half kilometers behind the forward line of troops.At approximately 0730, ISIL forces breached the Peshmerga forward
lines. At 0750, the Americans there became involved in the ensuing
firefight and called a quick reaction force. A U.S. service member was
killed.The service member was part of the quick reaction force who
responded. At 0932, he was struck by direct fire, and although he was
medevaced within the all important golden hour, his wound was not
survivable. No other coalition or American forces were injured, though
both medevac helicopters were damaged by small arms fire.There were Peshmerga causalities but I do not have numbers on those
to release. Coalition air responded with 31 strikes taken by 11 manned
aircraft and two drones. Air power destroyed 20 enemy vehicles, two
truck bombs, three mortar systems, one bulldozer, 58 ISIL terrorists
were killed. The Peshmerga have regained control of Tal Asquf.And our deepest heartfelt condolences go out to that American service
member and his family. He is an American hero. This is a reminder of
the risk our men and women face every day supporting the fight against
ISIL.

The fallen is Arizona's Charlie Keating IV -- C.I. includes some
information about him in the snapshot at the end of my post. Charlie
sounds like a solid guy. Reading about him made me cry.And I can't believe thirteen years after the start of the Iraq War, I'm still crying about US troops dying in Iraq.Two different administrations -- one Republican, one Democrat -- have continued this awful war.Over a million Iraqis have been killed.And there's still no end in sight.Bernie Sanders defeated Hillary in the state of Indiana. That primary
victory maybe says a lot of us are tired of this never-ending war.Hillary is a War Hawk. With her president, I don't see the Iraq War ending.

Charles Keating IV.He died despite Barack 'ending' the Iraq War.But Barack didn't and hasn't ended the Iraq War.And I really don't have patience for the child-like fools who have spent 8 years defending their 'boo' in the White House.Grow the hell up.The country's worse off.African-Americans are worse off.The world is worse off.That's the reality.So just stop lying.And Barack didn't end the Iraq War.In fact, the way things are going, he may have just kept it going to hand it over to War Hawk Hillary.

Shame on Barack Obama.Shame on us.The Iraq War should have ended long ago (shouldn't have even started).Whores like Jane Fonda showed up like rallies pretending to care.But they only cared about spitting on Bully Boy Bush.Once it became Barack's war, the didn't object once.They're whores.Shame on them.Before I moved to Hawaii, I lived in Boston.So I grew up with John Kerry as some sort of local hero.Today, he's nothing but an embarrassment.He said this about Vietnam long before he got into Congress:We are asking Americans to think about that because how do you ask a man
to be the last man to die in Vietnam? How do you ask a man to be the
last man to die for a mistake?

Now he's the gung-ho pro-war Secretary of State.Someone should ask him how do you ask a woman or man to be the last one to die for a mistake?Charlie Keating IV is the name of the Navy Seal who was killed in Iraq on Tuesday.He shouldn't have been there, Barack shouldn't have sent him there.The Iraq War needs to end.Immediately.

Well let's be fair. John Kerry has a Twitter feed and can note whatever he wants there. The morning of May 3rd is when America learned of the latest US military death in Iraq. Since then, John Kerry has Tweeted:

The 'antiwar' activist who is now supporting War Hawk Hillary Clinton.

At the January 2007 rally against the Iraq War in DC, Jane Fonda took the stage and declared:

I'm really here because I want to thank you all. I want to thank you
from the bottom of my heart for being here today. So many of you, so
many of today's speakers, including my fellow actors up here, were here
at the beginning, before we went into Iraq, because you knew and they
knew what was in store. Thank you so much for the courage to stand up
against this mean-spirited, vengeful administration. Your actions are
proof that the most precious part of this country, its soul, is alive
and well. So thank you. Your ongoing commitment to ending this war
allows people in other parts of the world to remain hopeful that America
has the stuff to become again a country that they can love and respect.
Thank you. I especially want to thank and acknowledge the servicemen
and women and the military families and Gold Star mothers that are here.
A lot of press people have been asking me today, "What's the
difference between now and during the Vietnam War?" And I'll tell you
one huge crucial difference: It took six years for Vietnam veterans,
active-duty servicemen, Gold Star mothers and military families to come
out against the war. It has happened now within three years of the war.
Their presence here is critical, and we should acknowledge their
courage.
I haven't spoken at an antiwar rally in 34 years, because I've been
afraid that because of the lies that have been and continue to be spread
about me and that war, that they would be used to hurt this new antiwar
movement, but silence is no longer an option. My daughter, who is here
with me today -- come here -- she was a little girl when she would come
with me to the anti-Vietnam War protests. She's here today with her two
little children, my grandchildren. I'm very proud that they're here, but
I'm so sad that we still have to do this; that we did not learn the
lessons from the Vietnam War; that we've made the same mistakes,
blindness to the realities on the ground, hubris and arrogance in
dealing with a people and culture far older than we are; and that we
understand so little, carelessness and thoughtlessness in our approach
to rebuilding a country we've destroyed, allowing billions of dollars to
be stolen, squandered at the hands of private contractors, just as this
administration has done in our own gulf in the post-Katrina era.
So, thank you. Thank you for being here, and we'll continue to be
here for as long as necessary. God bless.

That's the 'activist' Jane Fonda.

"We'll continue to be here for as long as necessary"?

Turns out, it's no longer necessary -- at least not to 'activist' Jane.

Those of us opposed to the Iraq War remain opposed.Those who just postured to use it against Bully Boy Bush?They gave up the pretense of caring the moment Barack was first sworn in as president in January 2009.Their lazy asses go a long way towards explaining why the Iraq War continues and why Keating died today.

Petty Officer First Class Keating was killed while coming to the aid
of Americans troops under fire after Islamic State fighters breached
Peshmerga lines. His death brings to three the total number of US troop
losses since the country reentered Iraq after its 2011 departure.US
forces will see more battles in the months to come, and top Pentagon
officials have said there will likely be more troops on their way to
Iraq later this year. The plan going forward is for US forces to train
smaller units that are more likely to be doing the fighting, rather than
advising military headquarters, as they had been doing before.While
the White House has insisted for months that US forces have a training
mission and "are not in a combat role” in Iraq, the language used by
Pentagon officials seems designed to brace the public for more
casualties.“He was in a firefight, and he died in combat. I want to be very, very clear about that,” Carter said of Keating.

Q: Colonel Warren, just two things.Can you just describe what the ISIS fighters were operating in? Were
they operating in trucks or bulldozers? How did they approach this
village and mount and maneuver in this attack?And the second question, just on the QRF -- I'm assuming this is an
all American QRF that came in? If that's not the case, please correct
me? And can you tell us how often QRFs like that are called into
respond to situations? Is this the first time that's happened in months
or is that a relatively routine thing for the guys up north?COL. WARREN: It's all American and it's the first time it's happened in months.On how the enemy moved in this case, so they move in these type of
vehicles that we refer to as technicals, which is kind of an all
encompassing term for you know, homemade gun trucks, right. They throw
together these -- I don't know -- kind of Jed Clampit, they will bolt a
machine gun onto the hood of a pick up truck, or a gremlin, or
whatever. You know, it's whatever they can find with four wheels and an
engine, they will bolt some armored plates on the side if they can find
them. You know, they'll rig this thing up to be some sort of troop
carrying vehicle, and whether or not it's only two or three people that
can fit into it, or if it's a larger type of pick up truck, they can fit
more in there.So there's no standardization here. This is a non-standard military
force that we're facing. So it's a little bit of everything. So that
we use the word technicals, we've destroyed 20 of them.The bulldozer they like to use in several ways. Like I said earlier,
the flot that we talked about, this forward line, is simply a
checkpoint on the road is the main thing. So they will use the
bulldozer, they will often use a truck bomb, plow it into the
checkpoint, detonate it, kill the personnel there, and then they'll have
to use the bulldozer to push the wreckage out of the way.Not clear on whether or not that's exactly how they did it this
time. I don't think they did, it seems like they punched through just
with the bulldozer, and detonated their one truck bomb that they got off
a little bit further up the road and we destroyed the other two truck
bombs from the air.So -- but that's how they move around is in this kind of ad hoc
series of bolted together homemade trucks and cars and -- et cetera.

About Me

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